Birth services at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple have remained suspended since 11 August, after health chiefs said staffing shortages made it unsafe to continue delivering babies at the site. The closure, imposed by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, has prompted sharp criticism from local politicians who say expectant mothers are now being put at risk by lengthy journeys to give birth elsewhere.
Devon County Council leader Julian Brazil described the situation as a serious lapse by health service leadership, telling a special council meeting it amounted to what he called a failure of management.
a catastrophic failure of senior management
The comment came after councillors raised concerns during the meeting about the safety and fairness of forcing pregnant women to travel to Exeter to give birth.
Why was the maternity unit closed?
Peter Collins, representing NHS Devon and Cornwall's Integrated Care Board, told councillors the trust faced difficult circumstances with no straightforward solution available.
no easy choices
He said the service had become unsafe from a clinical standpoint, and that maintaining it in its previous form was no longer achievable given current conditions.
clinically unsafe
not possible to provide effective and safe services... at the moment
According to the trust's own guidance, the pause covers birthing services, in-person triage assessments and the special care baby unit, though community midwifery, antenatal scans, birth planning appointments, ultrasound clinics and outpatient antenatal clinics are continuing as normal, per the trust's maternity update page.
What are councillors and MPs saying?
Councillor Andrea Davis highlighted the area's poor public transport links and patchy mobile phone coverage as additional risks for labouring women needing to travel. Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, Ian Roome, argued that access to appropriate care should not depend on geography or financial circumstances.
women need the right care at the right time, regardless of where they live or their income
Roome pressed trust representatives on what travel time would be deemed acceptable for women in labour, and asked whether contingency planning accounted for factors such as roadworks, traffic accidents or seasonal congestion on the roads.
Councillor Caroline Leaver pointed out that a significant number of north Devon residents lack access to a car or the spare income to cover extra travel or accommodation costs that a birth in Exeter might require. The hospital's catchment area extends beyond north Devon to parts of mid-Devon and north-east Cornwall.
Councillor Graham Bell described widespread anxiety spreading well beyond the immediate area.
There is massive fear among the entire community, including Bude, Torridge and southern Somerset.
He called for the trust to provide frequent public updates to ease concern among residents.
The trust needs to give COBRA-esque [UK government emergency-style] daily briefings through our media outlets to reassure them everything is being done.
Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin summed up the frustration felt by many in the region.
Our geography is a fact but it shouldn't be a risk to a mother's health.
How is this affecting local families?
Reporting from a national newspaper indicates that some pregnant women now face journeys of at least an hour and a half to reach an alternative maternity unit. The National Childbirth Trust has said the nearest full maternity services for affected families are in Exeter, roughly 55 miles from Barnstaple, according to a separate broadcaster report. Separate coverage from the same outlet described some local women expressing fear of having to give birth in laybys or on the roadside because of the distance involved and heavy summer traffic on the route.
What is the health trust doing about it?
Royal Devon chief executive Sam Higginson attributed the suspension directly to staffing gaps and said efforts were underway to address them.
We are absolutely committed to this being a temporary closure.
My key concern is I need to reopen the service when it's safe to do so.
He confirmed the trust was intensifying its search for both permanent and temporary consultants and doctors to fill the gaps. Separate reporting from a broadcaster update notes the trust had already been preparing for a possible suspension since July because of ongoing staffing difficulties, having first warned on 28 July that it could not guarantee sufficient consultant and medical cover to keep the unit open safely beyond 11 August, according to earlier coverage. Another follow-up report states the trust's efforts to resume the service are centred on recruitment, workforce planning and building longer-term resilience into the maternity team.
The trust has also set up two support lines for affected families: a helpline for non-urgent enquiries on 01271 335773 and a 24-hour maternity triage line on 01392 406616, according to the trust's published guidance.
What happens next?
The trust has said it intends to restore birthing services at North Devon District Hospital as soon as it can safely do so, though no firm date has been set, according to the latest update. It has also pledged to keep pregnant women and birthing people informed through its maternity webpage and the support lines while the temporary suspension continues, per the trust's own statement.
Key Facts
- Births at North Devon District Hospital have been suspended since 11 August 2026 due to staffing shortages.
- Affected women face travelling to Exeter, around 55 miles away, with some journeys taking at least 90 minutes.
- Community midwifery, scans, birth planning and antenatal clinics remain unaffected by the closure.
- The trust has launched a non-urgent helpline (01271 335773) and a 24/7 triage line (01392 406616).
- No date has yet been confirmed for reopening the birthing unit.
